animus_network | ITP: Re-intro~!

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ITP: Re-intro~!

[The camera turns on and someone who may or may not be a very familiar fourteen year old shows up on the screen. She looks very serious, her facial expression carefully blank but judging by the way she's worrying at the hem of her jacket, she's very concerned. The world truly couldn't have ended.... right?]

Sanada-senpai? Junpei? Are you guys here? Takeba? Yamagishi? Kirijo-senpai?

Ai-chan? Did anyone else from Gekkoukan make it here? [She pauses a second before speaking up in a slightly tenser voice:] Miss Yoshino? Are you here, too? [Because the last she saw of her was in the hospital and despite things she was strong enough to make it, right?]

[Minami pauses for a moment, reaching out to hit post for the video, but she stops, draws her hand back, and manages to put on a cheery face.]

Um, for anyone else here, my name's Minami Arisato, Freshman at Gekkoukan High School in Japan! I'm on the Track team and enjoy photography! It's nice to meet you all and I hope, whatever's going on here, we can all get along!

[There. A good first impression is always how to get off on the right foot? It isn't like she isn't used to having to make these and, well, hopefully what the letter said isn't true. Nyx.... Nyx couldn't have ended the world that quickly, right? It's only been a few days since the Hanged Man was defeated, since Ikutsuki.]

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[It's her.

Wait...]

[No references to the Underworld.

Different given name. Different school year.

She's different from the Minako he knows.]

[It would be confusing if he shows familiarity with her so openly. So it would be best to start simple and see what kind of world she's from.

Sooner or later, they might meet in this tower. It's better to get this confusion over with.]

It's nice to meet you too. ['Minako', he almost said, and wait. Watching her reaction.]

[Her eyes widen upon seeing his reply, seeing him, hearing him say that. She'd explored earlier. She had a clue about the 'multiple world' and 'multiple selves' aspect, but this? Him.

It's confusing. Very confusing. Is it the one from her world playing another cruel trick or is it another? Is this her brother?

She still has trouble believing he's her brother, trying to reconcile the person who threatened and mentally tortured her whenever they met up with the sweet boy she can only vaguely recall from before the accident.

Somehow, she manages to still her slightly shaking hands and gives him a kind smile that, no matter how she tries, doesn't quite reach her eyes.]

It's nice to meet you, too.... Minato, right?

[He nods, his expression still calm and neutral. But there's a hint of curiosity, about the girl on the screen.]

That's right. Minato Arisato.

[If it's anyone else, him giving out his name would be normal. But with her, it's a small way of 'testing'. How does Minami see him, now?]

[She's curious as well, and can tell he's testing her. She's testing back. Is she the one she knows? Does he know her? Or some version of her? Is he anything like the Minato she's familiar with?]

Oh! So you're an Arisato, too! That's interesting! [Her smiles a bit more genuine at that. So far, so good, right? She can do this. Minami has got this!

She thinks.] Do you go to Gekkoukan, too?

It's a rather interesting coincidence.

[Or is it?

Her smile looks a little nicer, now. It makes him glad to see it. Minato almost miss seeing it around in the dorm. Minako's smiles made life in Hell a little better.]

That's right. I'm actually a second year in Gekkoukan right now.

[With all the time he spent away from his world adding up, he should be entering his final year.]

Same as most of my dorm mates!

[And she can't keep this up. Not at all. So she leans towards the screen a bit, as if to whisper to him, then she realizes, oh right. Screen. Minami leans back with a sheepish laugh, nervous. It's hard not to be on edge, but she's proud of herself for trying. For managing this far.]

How about we meet up for some.... lunch, I guess? Is it lunchtime? I'm starving! We can compare notes or whatever about Gekkoukan and other stuff!

[It's a bad idea. She can already feel it. Another bad decision, but it'd be simpler if they met in person and could get to the point. Maybe reach an agreement to avoid one another.]

[He smile, looking almost genuine. He's being careful, trying to not set himself up for too much disappointment.

She's not Minako, don't expect too much.]

I'd love that. But I have to warn you, your first meal might be...weird.

[Ew, newbie food. Edible, but 'tasty' is not what he'd use to describe it.]

Weird? Weird how? Are they hazing the newbies with spam and mystery meat?

[Don't get your hopes up, Minami. It might turn out to be the person she knows.]

Not so weird as 'plain'.

[He's a bit spoiled by Shinjiro's cooking.]

Do you like oatmeal?

[So's she.]

Yeah! I usually have a big bowl of it with lots of sugar and syrup and jam if I'm in a rush in the mornings! [Minami's always lived off of sugar rushes.

There's a beat.]

I'm going to be eating a lot of oatmeal here, aren't I?

[That's a very sweet way of having oatmeal.

He approves.]

Not really. You just have to finish oatmeal first, for some reason. You can eat others afterwards.

[Minato was suspicious at first when they gave him his oatmeal, while everyone else seems to have tastier food. He decided not to try his luck at the time and ate it.

There's probably a reason.]

Oh, well I can live with that! So? Lunch? Dinner? Linner?

[Food will keep her distracted, thankfully. And if they have to have oatmeal.... well, she doesn't trust it. Is sure it's drugged, but if Minato is willing to eat it, it should be fine. Shouldn't it?

He's probably tricking her, but part of her is hoping, somehow, he's okay. He's not lying. That he's not like the other Minato, even if her stomach clenches and she's decidedly not hungry just thinking about sitting down with him for a meal.]

[He chuckles a bit. Food is a safe topic, generally.]

The cafeteria's food not that bad, unless you cook your own food.

[Which he sometime do. A lot of food found themselves sacrificed to his stomach.]

Do you know where the cafeteria is?

Yeah! I looked around a bit looking for my friends earlier.

[And a nervous laugh. Not from her nerves about Minato, but more out of embarrassment.] And I'm almost as bad as Yamagishi-senpai is at cooking, so no. I can't cook my own food.

[That buffet is going to be so wasted between the two of them. Now three, if we count AUnato.]

I'm pretty good with cooking, but I normally let Shinjiro-senpai handle it.

[He mentioned their senpai's name. To test out when she came from. For him, Shinjiro is still alive, but he knows that his senpai might die.]

So I'll see you there in the cafeteria?

[She's quiet for a minute. Shinjiro-senpai. Present tense. He's.... he's alive in this Minato's world? She.... she'd had a bit of a crush on him. He was kind to her and he listened when she needed to talk. She could let her guard down around him. Probably because they'd both had a hard time regarding the system.

But that would mean he lived in this world. That Minato hadn't murdered him and.... and....]

S-sure! No problem! [Frak. Frak. She thought she'd finished crying over it, but she can already feel the tears stinging as the very thought of him alive--alive--came to her mind and--]

I'll see you in a few minutes!

[and she clicks off the connection before taking a moment to compose herself. She knows she's overemotional between Ikutsuki and finding those files and now this. But she can do this. She can. No matter what she has to keep moving forward.]

(ooc: You wanna start the log or should I? 83c)

(ooc: It's here!)

... Here I'd been thinking we might have some peace, but I guess they decided there weren't enough pathetic little girls in this Tower.

[ He scoffs. ]

And you would ask that, wouldn't you? Cute, how you pretend to care about others, projecting that fake confidence of yours.

... They're not here, by the way. The rest of your precious little puppet-team.

[ Not like he cares, or anything, but... ]

[Somehow, somehow she manages not to freak out. She knows he's here, had fair warning. He also hasn't been causing trouble so she can give him benefit of the doubt. So she takes a deep breath, tries not to let the words sting--even though she knows they're true. They were puppets. Just not to who Minato thinks they were puppets, too.

She looks very tired as she looks at the screen, at him. He has the advantage and without Tartarus, without their whole world he has no reason to do this.

Right?]

Look, can we.... Can we not do this today?

[Because they both know how close his words sting, how easy it is to her. She doesn't know how much he knows about how their world ended or the Hanged Man or Ikutsuki or them or anything else, but she doesn't want to deal with this today. Not him. Anyone, but him.]

Is Miss Yoshino here, then? Is she okay? [Of course, then Chidori posts like five minutes after this. Pfffff.]

Whatever. ... But I don't take orders from brats with no real life experience.

[ Tch. He despises her. So, so much. And she's asking about Chidori... yeah, no. ]

Whatever you want to know you can find out on your own, why the hell would I tell you anything about MY team members when you kidnapped her from us?

[ Yeah fuck you. ]

Your Persona works here, but don't rely on it. ... And... try not to die, I guess.

[ That's all he says. Which is weird, but... maybe he actually cares. Sort of. maybe. ]

[She winces. Yeah, technically they did. To put her in the hospital and let her heal and get information. There's no getting around that, even if the kidnapping part had not been planned at all.]

I'll try not to.

[A beat. She gets a response from Chidori and smiles. Good, she's here. That's one less person to worry about. Her expression falls to neutral as she concentrates on talking to Minato.]

You take care of yourself, okay? And Miss Yoshino.

[The closest she can get to a peace offering at the moment. If she can't rely on her persona, then what can she do? Well, she's pretty fast on the track team and if she can find a staff or something, she could potentially defend herself.]

[ ... ]

Stop being so cordial, it's annoying.

[ Tsun tsun tsun. ]

There's wood in the workshop floor. You could make a staff or Naginata or something if you're desperate, I guess.

[ .......... ] Though I really don't care what you do. Try not to get in my way.

I won't.

[A beat.]

We don't have any reason to fight here, so.... so I think it'd be easy to stay out of each other's way.

[this is going way better than she thought it would.]

... Each other? No. Everything else not a captive here you will need a weapon for.

[ He shrugs, indifferent completely, expression icy and full of malice. ]

But I'm only telling you because you're a tool who can't fight her way out of a wet paper bag. It wouldn't hurt my feelings if you'd die or whatever, so I don't care what you do. Die, jump off a ledge, go be irritatingly cheerful somewhere... I don't care.

Just don't do it around ME.

[ Click! Yeah, he hung up. SOMEONE needs to learn manners. ]

You do like to pretend such concern for others even while you're making them miserable, don't you?

[Anyone who has yet to witness just how cold Chidori can be might be surprised by the steel in her voice and the ice in her tone.]

You join us here yet again. Will we never be rid of you?

[That stings far worse than what Minato could say. Minami's been told how many times people didn't want her? And now....]

Again? This is my first day here, Miss Yoshino.

[A beat.]

I'm glad you're okay, too.

Save the paltry pleasantries, and don't be so patronizing.

[Her eyes narrow, lips turning downward in displeasure. She is Not Happy to see you here, Minami.]

As if I should feel honored that you're bothered to concern yourself on my behalf. Unlike some girls, I can take care of myself.

[Minami can tell. She's used to this and while she's glad to see she's okay she doesn't want to be anywhere near her. Especially with how those words sting.

Yes, Minami has had Kirijo Corp. taking care of her since the accident, footing for medical bills and school costs and clothing and sending a generous check to her foster parents every month to make sure she was well taken care of. They let her go to Gekkoukan and stay in a dorm free of charge even before she knew about the Dark Hour, send her a check every month for any expenses she might have. She knows this. She's way better off than others in her situation.

She also knows that, if push comes to shove she can care for herself, despite this.]

I just wanted to know if you were here too and okay, that's all.

[She can get through this, too. Just stay grounded. She can get through a conversation with her.]

[It isn't so much that as that Minami also has, aside from her foster family, all of S.E.E.S. as an extended family- and still, in Chidori's mind, has the nerve to act as if she requires more. More allies, more 'friends'- and taking her away from Minato and the others doesn't help that theory in the slightest.

As if Chidori would ever just turn to her side.]

It is obvious I'm here, and I am as 'alright' as one can be in this place.

[Her eyes narrow again, that sharp, reflexive motion showing her ire more than anything.]

However, as your arrival has already marred the continuation of my stay, perhaps you wish to capture me again and hand me over to the tower personnel for more 'observation'?

Not really? If you're okay now then you don't need observation. We were going to contact the other members Strega about picking you up once you were healed up.

[Which is true. After their betrayal at the hands of Ikutsuki, Mitsuru had told them that, no matter what anyone said, that Chidori was to be released to Strega as soon as the doctors declared she was fit and able to. Both sides had been through enough.

Minami considers this for a moment, who she's dealing with, how she's acting.]

I know you probably don't believe me, but that's fine. It's not like you have any reason to after what's happened between us.

[And here is the small voice in the back of her head telling her she's doing well. Maybe.... maybe she can get through this? She just needs to keep Chidori from getting to her.

Easier said than done, though.]

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ITP: Re-intro~!

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